FROM THE KITCHEN – SEPTEMBER 2011

This September is unusual because we are losing so many of our team to university.  Whilst we are excited for them leaving home and starting on their new lives as students we are sad to see them go and will miss them all.  Best wishes to Annie, Daisy, Joe,  Julia, Lizzie and  Ryan and we hope to see you again during the holidays.

Blaine and the team have been working hard all summer using our kitchen garden for inspiration.  As Autumn draws in and the crop of vegetables from our plot diminishes we are lucky to have a whole range of wild and foraged fungi and herbs just coming into season. We’re also looking forward to the game season when we’ll be adding game and venison sourced from our neighbours at Lydney Park Estate.

In the meantime we have added organic lamb to the menu from Crooked End Farm just down the road.  Click the link below to read the blog about their amazing organic farm.

http://crookedendfarm.wordpress.com/

Wild Orchids

First wild orchid of the year, and what a beauty!!

Forest of Dean Daffodil Weekends

Saturday 6 to Sunday 28 March 2010

Explore the Forest of Dean’s famous floral displays in Oxenhall, Kempley and Dymock, when wild daffodils start to bloom across the golden triangle this spring 2010.

See delightful daffodils in their true glory, during the three Forest of Dean weekend events.Visitors from across Gloucestershire, the UK and beyond will be descending on the Forest of Dean in March 2010, when stunning wild daffodils can be seen in all their glory and a number of activities will celebrate the enchanting native flower.

Taking place in an area known as the golden triangle; Oxenhall, Kempley and Dymock will all be hosting their own weekend events, giving visitors the chance to enjoy and learn more about daffodils.

Guided walks will be led by enthusiastic and knowledgeable volunteers, taking in places of interest including the Daffodil Way footpath, Betty Daws Wood, Gwen & Vera’s Fields Nature Reserve and the former Daffodil Line Railway – which used to run the Daffodil Specials when local children would pick the wild flowers to be sent by train from Gloucester to London for the capital’s hospitals and markets.

Oxenhall Daffodil Weekend
Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 March 2010
For more information contact Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust on (01452) 383333.

Kempley Daffodil Weekend
Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 March 2010

Dymock Daffodil Weekend
Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 March 2010
For more information contact Dymock Parish Hall on (01531) 890453.

Local Jams & Honey

We have just started serving a new local jam at breakfast from Kitchen Garden. We have gone for their organic marmalade and strawberry jam.

In addition we have started serving Hudnalls Apiaries’ Forest of Dean Honey. Hudnalls Apiaries is based in St Briavels, about 3 miles away from the hotel and Kitchen Garden are based in Stroud. Both are available to buy from reception.

You can find more information from their websites:
www.kitchengardenpreserves.co.uk
www.hudnallsapiaries.co.uk

Kitchen Garden

We have for the past few years had our own vegetable plot here at the hotel. Gordon has been in charge of producing fruit and vegetables for the kitchen. We are now hoping to expand on his past success, and I have started doing a NVQ in Horticulture and have recently completed a City & Guilds Growing Fruit course. I started this year growing a few additional vegetables in pots. Partly to give me some experience of growing, albeit on a very small scale (traditionally I have struggled to keep house plants alive!), but also so that Matthew, now 2, could get involved in the garden and see how things grow. We planted a few tomato plants – some of which I killed by putting them outside before the last frost (I blame Colin for this, as he was fed up of having them on the draining board!) – three potato bags and flat leaf parsley. The potatoes certainly did the best. The slugs have enjoyed the flat leaf parsley! We have now harvested all the potatoes and here is a photo of Matthew taking the last lot to the kitchen:

Matthew and his wheelbarrow

Next year we hope to harvest a lot more. First of all we need to buy a greenhouse, and then we will be digging a lot of raised beds in our paddock. We intend to fence off an area for this so that we can still keep sheep on the rest of the land. I will keep you posted on developments.

Flickr

We have a flickr account, where you can view all of the photos taken for our new website and brochure. They are at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tudorfarmhouse/

They were taken by Bob from Abbey House Studio in Tintern. They concentrate now on weddings and offer an excellent service. They did the photos for Hari’s sister’s wedding. We would highly recommend them.
http://www.abbeyhousestudios.co.uk/

If you are looking for a portrait photographer, Bob’s daughter, Sheryl Long, is brilliant and is based in their studio in Tintern.
http://www.ahsportraits.co.uk/index.html

Pied Piper

Iain the piper

Last night we had an American group in as a pre-wedding celebration – what they call in America the rehearsal dinner. This is traditionally (and it was in the case) hosted by the groom’s parents. The groom’s father on landing at Heathrow yesterday decided that a surprise of a piper would be great! So he called Colin who has less than 10 hours to find one. He was amazed at how easy it proved to be! The Scottish Piper Association were remarkably helpful and within four phone calls Colin had booked Iain for last night.

It certainly made for a different evening. I’d forgotten how loud pipes are. Iain played Scotland the Brave  in the dining room and then the group went out into the garden for dessert. He played Amazing Grace and then joined in the group photos. The wedding party went on a pub crawl after dinner (there are three pubs in the village). Iain played them down the street to their first pub. Who only knows what everyone in the village thought was happening?! Our other guests in for dinner that evening loved it, and it certainly proved to be a talking point. I always like seeing different tables talking to each other and socialising.

Amazingly Matthew slept through the whole thing!